Mobile track surfacing apparatus

ABSTRACT

In a track grading machine, which operates with two reference beams associated with respective rails and wherein the beam stops and receivers are held at a constant distance from the rails, drive motors are provided for automatically adjusting the vertical position of each beam transmitter independently. The drive motors are operated in response to any deviation of the track from the horizontal, taking into account the different between the actual and the desired superelevation.

[ 1 May 2,1972

United States Patent Plasser et al.

m H 45 66 99 ll 88 45 33 .1 48 49 ll 33 [54] MOBILE TRACK SURFACING APPARATUS 3,298,105 1/1967 Stewart et Primary Examiner-Walter Stolwein Attorney-Kurt Kelman [22] Filed:

[21] Appl. No.:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 19, 1969 [57 ABSTRACT In a track grading machine, which operates with two reference [52] US. Cl. 250/215,104/7 R, I

3 3 45 beams associated with respective rails and wherein the beam .E0lb 29/04 .33/60, 145, 144; 104/7 R; 250/203, 215; 37/DIG. 20, DIG. 1, DIG. 14;

stops and receivers are held at a constant distance from the rails, drive motors are provided for automatically adjusting the [58] Field of vertical position of each beam transmitter independently. The drive motors are operated in response to any deviation of the track from the horizontal, taking into account the different between the actual and the desired superelevation.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Plasser et a1. ....33/l45 X 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 2 1972' Marr MOBILE TRACK SURFACING APPARATUS The present invention relates to improvements in mobile track surfacing apparatus for surveying and correcting the grade and superelevation of a track having two rails.

Known apparatus of this type comprises vertically adjustable radiated energy beam transmitters associated with the respective track rails, each transmitter emitting a reference beam, for instance of visible or infrared light above the respective rail, and means for surveying the superelevation of the track associated with the transmitters. A radiated energy beam receiver is associated with each rail and is mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom, each receiver being arranged to receive a respective referencebeam, and radiated energy beam stop means is arranged in the path of each reference beam a shortand constant distance from each receiver, each stop means being associated with a respective rail and being mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom.

In such a machine, the reference plane defined by the two reference beams is always substantially parallel to the track plane, including in superelevated track curves, so that the reference beam stop means and receivers, which are positioned in the corrected track section, require no vertical adjustment, such adjustment being limited to the transmitters which are positioned on a front bogie in the uncorrected track section.

In a known machine of this type, a common drive motor has been provided for the vertical adjustment of the two senders but the initial vertical adjustment of each sender must be made'manually for the grading operation in a straight and horizontal track section and for the grading operation in a superelevated curve. In this machine, only one reference beam is used for raising the grade rail while the other rail is then raised in reference to the grade rail by a superelevation indicator extending transversely of the track. While this system produces considerable accuracy in track grading operations, it has proven to be too slow for present-day requirements which demand a reduction of the track surfacing time to an absolute minimum so as to interfere as little as possible with the regular high-speed train traffic.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a mobile track surfacing apparatus of the indicated type which is not only very accurate in operation but also works very rapidly;

The above and other objects are accomplished in ac- 1 cordance with the invention by independent automatic means for adjusting the vertical distance of each transmitter from the associated rail independently of each other. Each automatic means includes a drive motor for effectuating the vertical distance adjustment, a control means operatively connected to the drive motor for actuating the motor in response thereto, and means indicating the desired superelevation of the track. The control means is responsive to the superelevation surveying means and is operatively connected to the desired superelevation indicating means whereby the drive motor automatically adjusts the vertical distance of the transmitter associated therewith in response to the desired superelevation and automatically takes into account the difference between the surveyed and desired superelevation.

In such a machine, the transmitters emit the reference beams without the occurrence of any superelevational errors at the track section where the transmitters are positioned, the required vertical adjustment means being simple and assuring high accuracy as well as maximal operational speed. This au' tomatic positioning control of the transmitters eliminates not only the emission of incorrect control signals for the grading operation, i.e., the raising of the track, but also reduces the grading control steps executed by the machine operator, thus increasing the efficiency of the operation.

According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the deviation of the track from the horizontal may be indicated, i.e., the superelevation of the track may be surveyed, by means of a pendulum which swings in a vertical plane transverse to the track, and the control means comprises contacts indicating the extent of the deviation arranged in the path of the swinging pendulum. A control circuit connects a respective contact to a respective drive motor for actuating this motor when the pendulum contacts the respective contact. A very useful apparatus of this type has been disclosed and claimed in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,522, dated June 10, 1969.

Most advantageously, an adjustment means is operatively connected to the means for indicating the desired superelevation to set this means to a selected superelevation. A control circuit leads from the operating and control stand in a corrected track section to the adjustment means for remote control thereof. Such automatic pre-setting of the desired superelevation from the central operating stand adds a further step to the automated grading operation, thus including the automatic setting of the desired superelevation in this operation. If the vertical position or positions of the transmitter or transmitters deviates from the pre-set superelevational relationship of the transmitters, an error signal will be produced and is fed into the control for positioning the transmitter or transmitters correctly.

According to another preferred feature of this invention, a superelevation indicator at the control stand is operatively connected to the remote controlled adjustment means for adjusting the desired superelevation in relation to the indicated superelevation so that the set values of the desired superelevation in the uncorrected track section may be compared with those of the indicated superelevation in the corrected track section. This enables the operator at the stand to compare these superelevation values and rapidly to correct any errors in the pre-set superelevation values at the transmitters in the uncorrected track section.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a now preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of the essentialparts of a mobile track surfacing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic transverse section along line "-11 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the essential parts of the apparatus in diagrammatic fonn; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic transverse section along line IV--IV of FIG. 3, the front bogie being diagrammatically shown somewhat similarly to FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, the generally conventional mobile track surfacingapparatus is shown to include a main carriage l, a front bogie 2 and a spacing rod 3 coupling the front bogie to the main carriage at a constant distance therefrom, the working direction of the apparatus being indicated by arrow 4 as the apparatus advances on rails 5, 5

resting on ties 13 from a previously corrected track section towards an adjacent uncorrected track section during the grading operation.

The front bogie 2 supports radiated energy beam transmitters 6, 6' associated, respectively, with rails 5, 5 and emitting reference beams 14 and 14' or 14''. Independent automatic means 9, 9 for adjusting the vertical distance of each of the transmitters from the associated rail independently of each other include drive motors 7, 7' rotating spindles 8, 8 for moving the transmitters up and down. Useful motor-driven vertical adjustment means for this purpose are shown, for in stance, in our U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,135, dated Aug. 3, 1965, which is arranged to operate in response to a sensed su perelevation. For this purpose, the front bogie 2 also carries a pendulum means 23 for surveying the superelevation of the track. The pendulum swings in a vertical plane transverse to the track in response to a deviation of the track from the horizontal. A control means 10 for actuating the drive motors is operatively connected to the motors and comprises two contacts constituting means indicating the desired superelevation and being arranged in the path of the swinging pendulum, and an electric control circuit-connecting the contacts to the drive motors for actuating a respective motor when the pendulum contacts a respective contact so that it may be vertically moved by rotation of the spindle either in the direction of arrow 11, 11 or 12, 12'. This adjustment takes into account the difference between the desired set superelevation and the sensed superelevation.

The main carriage 1 supports receivers 15, 15 sensitive to reference beams 14, 14 to produce operating signals used in a conventional manner for raising the track by means of jacks 16, 16, each receiver being associated with a respective track rail and being mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom. As is also conventional, stop means 17, 17' are arranged in the path of each reference beam in the region of the track raising and tamping point, i.e., a short and constant distance from each receiver and substantially closer to the receivers than the transmitters, movement of a stop means into the path of the associated reference beam discontinuing the operating signal and thus terminating the track lifting, as is well known.

An adjustment means 18 is mounted on the main carriage l at an operating and control stand and is operatively connected by means-of electrical control circuit 19 to the contacts of control means 10 for a remote control setting of the desired superelevation x which is determined by the setting of the contacts.

As seen in FIG. 3, the combined track tamping and leveling machine incorporating the structure of the present invention advances over a track curve in the direction of arrow 4 from a previously graded track section 20 having a desired superelevation into a curve section 21 to be graded. The main carriage 1 moves on the graded track section while the front bogie2 moves in the track section to be graded. At points 22, 22', as indicated by the arrows, the track is lifted until the upper horizontal edge of stops 17, 17', which are mounted on the track at a constant distance therefrom, moves into the reference beams 14, 14 forming a reference plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the track. At this point, thestops prevent the reference beams from reaching the beam receivers, and as is well known in this type of track grading operation, actuation of the track lifting means is interrupted so that the graded track point assumes the position of the previously graded track section.

.As the machine advances continuously with the front bogie 2 heldat a constant distance from main carriage 1, and with the inner rail at the curve serving as the grade rail, a faulty position of the outer rail 5, i.e., a deviation y from the superelevation x, will cause the transmitter 6 to emit a corres'pondingly faulty reference beam 14" which deviates from the desired superelevation by the value y. This produces a reference plane which is not parallel to the desired superelevation and would cause a low point in the curve which is out of alignment.

Asindicated in FIG. 4, this faulty position is immediately and automatically corrected by the vertical adjustment means 9. This automatic adjustment proceeds in the following manner:

The free swinging pendulum 23 will contact one or the other of the set contacts 24, 24', which indicates the desired superelevation, thus closing the control circuit to drive motor 7' to rotate spindle 8 as long as the circuit remains closed to move the transmitter 6 vertically until such time as the pendulum no longer makes contact with the set contact 24 or 24', i.e., until the desired superelevation has been reached. The contacts have been set beforehand by adjustment means 18 to the desired superelevation x. Thus the desired superelevation x is set in advance of entering the curve by remote control from the operating stand, and is constantly compared with the actual superelevation in the curve by means of pendulum 23, advantageous superelevation surveying means useful for this purpose being described in the above-mentioned US. Pat. No. 3,448,522.

The operator may use an additional control consisting of superelevation indicator 25 at the operating stand, which is preferably operatively connected to adjustment means 18. In

this manner, the adjustment or setting of the desired superelevation indicating means 24, 24' at the reference beam transmitters may be constantly supervised by the actual superelevation indicated in the previously graded curve section 20.

To make the showing in FIG. 4 clearer, the values y, obtained by the operation of the vertical adjustment 9 or 9', are not shown in the same surveying plane as superelevation x. In actual operation, these values must be properly related, of course. The illustration is merely schematic and the fixed relationship between the transmitter supports and the track has been neglected for the sake of this schematic showing.

The present invention has been described in connection with a combined tamping and grading machine wherein the frontbogie supporting the reference beam transmitters is arranged at a constant distance from the main carriage during the grading operation since it is of particular advantage in such asystem. However, it is also possible to use the structure of this invention in' connection with a self-propelled front bogie whose advance may be controlled so asto maintain the desired distance between the reference beam transmitter and receiver means. It is also possible to use this structure in connection with the type of machine which has a common frame moving on two running gears, with the tamping and track lifting means being mounted thereon between the running gears, the reference system being supported on the rails by rollers or the like. Furthermore, the invention is not limited to any particular type of reference beam or plane or any particular transmitter and/or receiver means. Also, the particular arrangement of the superelevation indicating and surveying means on the front bogie may be varied. For instance, the surveying means may be spaced from the indicating means in the direction of track elongation. Finally, the transmitters may be so arranged that the desired superelevation may be indicated by manually setting the height of one of the transmitters associated with the grade rail while the-height of the other transmitter is then automatically adjusted in relation to the set transmitter.

It will, therefore, be understood that many variations and modifications may occur to those skilled in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A mobile track surfacing apparatus for surveying and correcting the grade and superelevation of a track having two rails, comprising 1. A radiated energy beam transmitter associated with each of said rails, each of the transmitters emitting a reference beam above a respective one of the rails;

2. means for surveying the superelevation of the track associated with the transmitters;

3. independent automatic means for adjusting the vertical distance of each of the transmitters from the associated rail independently of each other, each automatic means including a. a drive motor for effectuating the vertical distance ad justment,

b. a control means operatively connected to the drive motor for actuating the motor in response thereto,

c. a means indicating the desired superelevation of the track, the control means being responsive to the superelevation surveying means and being operatively connected to the desired superelevation indicating means whereby the drive motor automatically adjusts the vertical distance of the transmitter associated therewith in response to the desired superelevation and automatically takes into account the difference between the surveyed and desired superelevation;

4. a radiated energy beam receiver associated with each of said rails and mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom, each receiver being arranged to receive a respective one of the reference beams; and

5. A radiated energy beam stop means in the path of each of said reference beams and spaced a short and constant distance from each of the receivers, each stop means being associated with a respective one of the rails and being mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom.

2. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surveying means comprises a pendulum, the pendulum swinging in a vertical plane transverse to the track in response to a deviation of the track from the horizontal, and the control means comprises contacts indicating the extent of the deviation arranged in the path of the swinging pendulum, and a control circuit connecting a respective one of the contacts to a respective one of the drive motors for actuating the respective motor when the pendulum contacts the respective contact.

3. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an adjustment means operatively connected to the means for indicating the desired superelevation to set this means to a selected superelevation.

the control stand and the superelevation indicator are positioned in a corrected track section.

7. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a front bogie supporting the transmitters and automatic vertical adjusting means therefor, and a spacing rod coupling the front bogie to the receivers and beam stop means at a constant distance therefrom.

* i 1 '0! IF 

1. A mobile track surfacing apparatus for surveying and correcting the grade and superelevation of a track having two rails, comprising
 1. A radiated energy beam transmitter associated with each of said rails, each of the transmitters emitting a reference beam above a respective one of the rails;
 2. means for surveying the superelevation of the track associated with the transmitters;
 3. independent automatic means for adjusting the vertical distance of each of the transmitters from the associated rail independently of each other, each automatic means including a. a drive motor for effectuating the vertical distance adjustment, b. a control means operatively connected to the drive motor for actuating the motor in response thereto, c. a means indicating the desired superelevation of the track, the control means being responsive to the superelevation surveying means and being operatively connected to the desired superelevation indicating means whereby the drive motor automatically adjusts the vertical distance of the transmitter associated therewith in response to the desired superelevation and automatically takes into account the difference between the surveyed and desired superelevation;
 4. a radiated energy beam receiver associated with each of said rails and mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom, each receiver being arranged to receive a respective one of the reference beams; and
 2. means for surveying the superelevation of the track associated with the transmitters;
 2. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surveying means comprises a pendulum, the pendulum swinging in a vertical plane transverse to the track in response to a deviation of the track from the horizontal, and the control means comprises contacts indicating the extent of the deviation arranged in the path of the swinging pendulum, and a control circuit connecting a respective one of the contacts to a respective one of the drive motors for actuating the respective motor when the pendulum contacts the respective contact.
 3. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an adjustment means operatively connected to the means for indicating the desired superelevation to set this means to a selected superelevation.
 3. independent automatic means for adjusting the vertical distance of each of the transmitters from the associated rail independently of each other, each automatic means including a. a drive motor for effectuating the vertical distance adjustment, b. a control means operatively connected to the drive motor for actuating the motor in response thereto, c. a means indicating the desired superelevation of the track, the control means being responsive to the superelevation surveying means and being operatively connected to the desired superelevation indicating means whereby the drive motor automatically adjusts the vertical distance of the transmitter associated therewith in response to the desired superelevation and automatically takes into account the difference between the surveyed and desired superelevation;
 4. a radiated energy beam receiver associated with each of said rails and mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom, each receiver being arranged to receive a respective one of the reference beams; and
 4. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an operating and control stand, and a control circuit leading from the stand to the adjustment means for remote control thereof.
 5. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a superelevation indicator at the control stand and operatively connected to the adjustment means for adjusting the desired superelevation in relation to the indicated superelevation.
 5. A radiated energy beam stop means in the path of each of said reference beams and spaced a short and constant distance from each of the receivers, each stop means being associated with a respective one of the rails and being mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom.
 5. A radiated energy beam stop means in the path of each of said reference beams and spaced a short and constant distance from each of the receivers, each stop means being associated with a respective one of the rails and being mounted thereabove at a constant distance therefrom.
 6. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control stand and the superelevation indicator are positioned in a corrected track section.
 7. The mobile track surfacing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a front bogie supporting the transmitters and automatic vertical adjusting means therefor, and a spacing rod coupling the front bogie to the receivers and beam stop means at a constant distance therefrom. 